After the Jump
by Rj34
Summary: Following 2 section after they jump from the cliff in Bangladesh, and beyond. Whats next for our favourite characters, and will Georgie and Charlie get their happy ending?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

The water was cold and it was fast flowing. It took a few moments for Captain James to get his bearings once he emerged on to the surface.

'2 section!' He shouted. 'Get to the edge away from the current!'

He managed to swim close enough to the edge so that he could stand, followed by Rab and Maisie. He quickly scanned the water for signs of the other members of the section. Kingy, Fingers and Ruby followed just after Monk, followed by Brains. He felt a jolt of panic in his stomach as he realised he couldn't see Georgie.

'Does anyone have eyes on Lane?!' He shouted. 'And Monk? Does anyone have eyes on Monk or Lane?'

'Boss! There!' Maisie shouted, pointing over to a branch which was hanging out of a collection of rocks by the waters edge, about 30m from where they were standing. He started running before he even knew if it was her. The sense of panic he felt threatened to expose their secret, all he wanted was to grab her and hold her close to him, make sure she was safe. But he knew that if he allowed himself to be Charlie even for a moment, he wouldn't be the captain she needed him to be.

The others closely followed behind as he scrambled over rocks. As they became more slippery and jagged he fell a couple of times, ripping through his sodden trousers. He barely felt the pain of the rocks slicing open his skin as all he could think about was getting to Georgie before it was too late. If it wasn't already.

As they got to the waters edge, he breathed a small sigh of relief as he realised that both the missing members of his section were there. 'Boss!' Monk said desperately. 'I managed to grab her but she's in a bad way. My leg is stuck.'

'Kingy, Rab, get in and help release Monk.' On command they jumped in to the water and rummaged under the water, trying to prise his leg out from the jagged rocks without causing further damage.

Ruby stood at the edge of the water. For a few seconds he waited for guidance from Georgie like he always did, but then he realised that today it was him who was going to have to be in control. After a few seconds it came naturally and he jumped in to the water to assess her.

'Hold her still.' He said to Captain James as he began to check her vital signs, but he didn't need to as Captain James already had his arms wrapped around her, holding her steady against his body.

Within a few seconds Monk was released and Kingy and Rab managed to haul him up on to the rocks, and with the help of Fingers they moved him off the rocks and on to the flat bank of the river ready to be checked over.

'Immobilise and apply pressure to that leg until I have checked it.' Ruby said. 'Once I'm done with Georgie I'll be over.'

'Just take care of Georgie.' Monk said. His voice had lost its usual spark, he was clearly in shock from what had just happened.

'She's breathing.' Ruby said. 'But she's got a head injury. Did you see what happened Monk?'

'Nah.' He said. 'when I got to the surface she was already in the water but she wasn't moving so I grabbed her, and managed to get us over to the bank. I couldn't get her out. I tried, I-'

'It's alright Monk.' Kingy said, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. 'You did well.'

'I can't believe we all survived.' Rab said, looking up at the cliff top above them, from where they had all had to jump. 'We're all ok.'

It appeared that everyone except for Georgie had escaped with superficial injuries.

'We need to get her out of the water.' Ruby said. 'We need an urgent medevac now.'

Kingy looked around while waiting for Captain James' command. 'Boss?' He said. 'We won't get a helicopter down here. What do you want to do?'

Charlie couldn't think. He had been so close to having her, getting her back safely, and now it was all slipping away from him. Just like everything else in his life. Georgie was the one thing that made him happy, the one thing that made him believe he could get through all of this. If he didn't have her, then he had nothing.

'The canoes are up river.' Kingy said. 'Shall we bring them down and then we can move Lane into a canoe and get to a safe extraction point? I think there should be one about half a mile down the river.'

'Yeah.' Captain James nodded. 'Brains can you call it in.'

'Right, Fingers, Khalil, on me.' Kingy said sternly, while Brains got on the comma to request the medevac. 'Monk will you be alright here with Richards while we fetch the canoes?'

'Yeah.' Monk said. He could barely feel pain as the adrenaline from the jump was keeping him going.

'Brains stay here and help them get Georgie out of the water and on to the river bank.'

Once Ruby had checked Georgie over as best he could, they had to move her off the rocks and on to the river bank where she could safely be moved in to a canoe. Together with Brains and Captain James, they managed to move her slowly. He prayed that she hadn't hit her head on the way down and that the damage was done in the water. Because they had to get rid of most of their things before jumping, he had only limited kit to use and he had nothing to immobilise her properly.

'Georgie can you hear me?' He asked once they had placed her down near to Monk, looking in to each of her eyes in turn and feeling for her pulse. 'Her pulse is steady.' He said. 'I need to check the rest of her over. Boss can you hold her head steady while I take off these clothes?'

Charlie knelt by her head, with one knee either side and placed his hands on the side of her head. 'Keep her airway open.' Ruby commanded. Charlie stroked the side of her face gently while trying to wake her, to get her to respond. Ruby checked over the rest of her methodically, ripping away her clothing in places.

'It looks like the head injury is the most severe injury.' He said. 'The right arm might be broken too. And I can't rule out internal bleeding. Keep her still and keep talking to her while I check Monk over. Brains, can you find me something to immobilise that arm.'

While Ruby tended to Monk and Brains looked for something to make a makeshift splint, Charlie took Georgie's hand and knelt down close to her ear, whispering to her quietly.

'We made it.' He said. 'Stay with me, Georgie. Please stay with me. I need you.'

He forced himself back in to captain mode as he felt the panic set in. He had to control it. He would be no use to anyone if he couldn't make decisions.

He cleared his throat. 'How's he looking, Ruby?'

'It looks superficial.' Ruby confirmed. 'I don't think it's broken, but I don't have any blast bandages. Brains once you've done that, can you rip a shred of material from his uniform and I'll use it to tie it up for now? How are you doing, Maisie?'

'I'm fine.' Maisie said. 'I was just winded but I'm fine now.'

Captain James felt movement between his hands and he looked down, his heart thumping in his chest. She was coming round.

'Lane!' He said. 'Stay still. Ruby she's coming around!'

Ruby scrambled over to Georgie and Captain James and placed his hand over Georgie's.

'Stay still.' He said 'it's ok. You'll be ok but you have to stay still.'

Georgie looked up at Charlie and tried to talk but she was confused and groggy, and the words wouldn't come out right.

'Shhh.' He said, stroking the side of her face again. 'It's ok. We will be out of here soon. Just stay still.'

Suddenly Monk spotted the canoes coming down river.

'They're here!' He said.

The last time Captain James had been in a canoe it was him who had been lying in Georgie's lap, relying on her to save him. It seemed ironic that here they were again, but this time the tables had turned. He remembered how calm she had been in Belize, how she had kept him alive all that time and got him to hospital just in time. He owed it to her to make sure he did the same for her. He would not let anything happen to her and he could not let the rest of his section down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note - thank you so much for the reviews. When people say they are enjoying the story and want to read more, it really spurs me on to write the next chapter. So here it is. I hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter two

It took all of his strength to let her go, as they loaded her in to the helicopter. She was semi-awake and in pain. Charlie wanted to jump in the helicopter and be with her, but he knew that the others needed a Captain, and he couldn't let them down. As he watched the helicopter take off he remembered how it felt to be the one lying on the stretcher, as she watched on from the ground. He wondered if this was how Georgie had felt. He remembered opening his eyes and she was the last thing he saw before the helicopter left the jungle, and he closed his eyes again.

The time that they spent in the jungle in Belize seemed to be the turning point for his feelings for her. They had always been there, nagging at the back of his mind. When things went wrong with Molly he had allowed himself to think about what it might be like to be more than friends with Georgie. They had always been close as friends, but he hadn't been lying when he told her that Elvis had brought them together. He felt like when Elvis had died, a part of himself had died with him. That was something that Molly had never been able to understand, and he felt like that was where the trouble really began with Molly. Eventually the distance between them got greater and greater, while at the same time his feelings for Georgie deepened. Seeing her at the funeral in as much pain as he was - probably even more so - gave him a sudden desire to protect her, to take care of her. He felt he owed it to Elvis to do that. Even though things hadn't worked out how he had expected at that point in time.

He had never planned to get so close to Georgie. She was his friend, and the fiancé of his best friend. He had loved Molly, but over time she had let him down. She didn't even seem to try to understand what was going on in his head. He felt as though Molly saw things very black and white. She didn't understand why he didn't leave the army, start a fresh life, fix his broken mind. But it didn't work like that. He was addicted to the army, he needed it to function. Georgie understood, and she was there for him. Charlie wanted to get help but it had to be on his own terms. He knew that he could never get back that piece of him that was missing, but Molly always wanted him to be the man he was before, and he knew he could never do that. In the end, Molly pushing him to leave the army had pushed them apart.

'What a day.' Rab said in disbelief, as 2 section sat in the back of the truck, on their way back to barracks.

'Tell me about it, what am I going to do about my tooth?!' Maisie joked, trying to lighten the mood.

A few of the section forced a laugh, but none of them really felt like laughing. They were all traumatised about their escape from death, and as the adrenaline wore off they were all starting to feel their injuries.

'Once we get back you'll all need to be checked over properly.' Said Ruby, fastening a proper bandage over Monk's leg now that he had a proper kit.

It had been a big day for Ruby. Never before had he been the medic in charge, especially not with a cat A and several minor injuries to tend to. He wanted to be proud of himself but he couldn't get past the look of panic on Georgie's face once she had woken up. She had been disorientated and he was really worried about that head injury. He hadn't told the others but he was concerned that she might not be herself once - or even if - she woke up properly.

'Good job today, guys.' Captain James said. He was proud of his section but they could tell from the tone of his voice that he was exhausted. 'Once we get back I will chase a progress update on Lane. I'm sure she will be back with us in no time.'

His could feel the emptiness next to him. She should have been here, sat in the truck with the rest of the guys. She had saved him on more than one occasion. Why did he feel so completely helpless when it came to saving her? He felt angry that he wouldn't be there when she woke up. What if she felt alone?

Kingy watched as Captain James looked down at the floor, absorbed in his own thoughts. He had suspected something before, but he was almost certain now. There had been a few occasions during the Bangladesh tour that had raised his suspicions. Once he had walked in on them, sitting on the desk deep in conversation, and they had almost jumped apart as he entered the cabin. Another time he had walked into the office to find Captain James with his hands on Lane's shoulders. She quickly scuttled off to bed once he had walked in. This morning some of the guys had joked that Georgie hadn't come back last night, and she had brushed them off by saying she was in the medical wing keeping an eye on the cholera patients. He had been suspicious as he saw her leave Captain James' cabin early that morning. He had reassured himself that it was just a professional closeness between them, and she was just up early and went to see him to discuss today's plan, nothing more. But today's events and the way Captain James was behaving at the bottom of the cliff had made him certain that his suspicions were right.

Once 2 section were safely back at barracks, Captain James made arrangements to go to the hospital that Georgie had been taken to. He was desperate to see her. He had just about managed to contain himself all the way back on the truck, but as soon as he got back to barracks and the others were tied up getting treatment he changed in to dry clothes and went to see Kingy.

'I'm going to the hospital to visit Lane.' He announced. 'I think it's important that she knows we are all thinking of her.'

Kingy said nothing for a few moments, and then he nodded. 'Alright boss.'

'Is something wrong, Kingy?' Captain James asked, trying to catch another glimpse of the look he had just caught in Kingy's eyes. Was it suspicion? Did he know?

'No, boss.' He said, after a few moments. 'I'll keep an eye on the guys here and keep you updated with any developments.'

'Thanks.' Captain James said, throwing a few essentials in to a new Bergen and leaving the cabin. 'Well done today Kingy. You were great.'

Captain James felt Kingy's gaze follow him all the way to the truck. He knows, he thought, but at that moment he was too worried about Georgie to worry about that too. All that seemed important was getting to her as quickly as possible and making sure she was safe. When he had phoned the hospital she was stable but sedated. He wanted to be there when she woke up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

It took him several hours to get there but once he got to the hospital he ran in, desperate to get to her. He paced the corridors as quickly as he could, it seemed to take an age to get to the ward she had been placed on. He knew that she had been sedated but he had no idea if she was still under or whether she might have woken up.

Just as he got to the right place and swung around the corner ready to enter the ward, he almost walked right in to one of the medics who dropped what she was carrying.

'I'm sorry.' He said, crouching down to help pick up a bundle of notes and medical supplies, but as she looked up he realised who it was.

'Charles.' She said cooly, with an expression on her face which he couldn't read. He gulped as he felt his face flush.

It had been ages since he last saw Molly. The last time had been before he went to Bangladesh. Molly had told him that it would be over if he went back on tour, but he did it anyway. During this tour they had ended it, and she had moved out of their home. He hadn't yet been back, and she hadn't been in contact since their conversation about the chest of drawers.

'Are you ok?' She asked, eyeing the scratches on his face which he had got during the jump.

'I'm fine.' He said. 'I'm not here for me. It's Georgie, she was injured during a mission.'

'I know.' She said. 'I saw that she had been brought in. She's doing ok though at the moment.'

'I didn't know you were here.' He said.

'I'm on a tour here at the moment. It's just a short tour, I'm helping to train up the medics at this hospital.'

He nodded and glanced through the window across the room to Georgie, who was still asleep in one of the beds, the one closest to the corridor. He felt a pang in his stomach as he didn't know what to say next. It had been easier ending things with Molly when he wasn't around. Now they were together, he felt unsettled. Less sure of himself.

Molly reached up and touched his face. 'You should have these seen to.' She said. 'Cleaned up.'

'I'm alright.' He said, turning to face her. They stared in to each other's eyes for a minute before he cleared his throat and stepped away. 'It was good to see you. I have to get back to work.'

He felt her gaze on his back as he walked in to the room and sat down by Georgie's bed. She looked peaceful and he could tell that she wasn't currently in pain. He wanted to hold her hand but he felt unsettled by Molly's presence. He didn't know why seeing her had stirred up these old feelings. He and Molly had been over a long time ago. They had mutually ended it. They had lost what they had, back in the beginning, before Elvis, before everything. They had tried so hard to make it work and there was nothing more they could do. Was there?

* * *

When Georgie opened her eyes, it was dark. She panicked, thinking she was back at the bottom of the cliff in the water. And then she felt his hands on hers and heard his voice, and she knew she was safe.

'Hey! It's ok. It's me.'

She half expected it to be Elvis staring back at her. He had saved her so many times, when she realised they had to jump she almost expected him to turn up and whisk them all to safety. But he was gone now, and he wasn't coming back.

'Charlie.' She managed weakly. Her throat was dry and she felt like she had been beaten black and blue. 'Water?'

Charlie lifted a cup of water to her lips and helped her to drink from it. Then she closed her eyes, trying to gather some more strength before she tried to shift in bed to get comfortable.

'Is that better?' He asked, helping to move her pillows.

'Thanks.' She said, all of a sudden remembering how scared she had been at the bottom of the cliff, being thrown this way and that way in the water, bashing against the rocks. She thought nobody was coming. She thought it was the end. Surely she couldn't escape death twice in 48 hours?

As tears spilled out of her eyes Charlie moved on to the edge of the bed and put his arms around her. She shut her eyes and leaned in to him, breathing in his smell and feeling safer.

'It's ok.' He said, as she crumpled right in front of him, trying and failing to be brave. 'You're safe now.'

'Is everyone else ok?' She asked, leaning back to look up at his face. 'Are you ok?'

'We're fine.' He said. 'All superficial. We all made it, Georgie.'

'And Sumon? Is he safe?'

'He's safe and back with Barsha, where he belongs.' Charlie reassured her.

She relaxed a little in his arms, knowing that everyone else was fine. They had done it. They had saved Sumon. She felt stupidly guilty having not been there to help the guys at the bottom of the cliff. Not that it was her fault.

Suddenly Charlie pulled away from her.

'Look... Georgie, there's something I need to tell you.' He began, but they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. When Georgie looked up she couldn't believe who was standing right in front of them.

'Molly.' Georgie breathed, her heart thumping in her chest.

Molly said nothing, but looked from Georgie to Charles and back again.

'How are you feeling?' She asked finally, checking the notes at the end of Georgie's bed.

'Alright.' Georgie said, but she didn't really know what to say. 'I didn't know you were... here.'

'I'm on a training project at the moment.' Molly said cooly, checking the dressing on one of Georgie's arms, and scribbling a few lines on the notes. 'That's all done.' She stared at Charlie for a few seconds and opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but she didn't.

As Molly turned to walk away, Georgie turned to Charlie. He looked back at her and for a moment they looked in to each other's eyes, before he knew what he had to do. He had to choose. This had to end.

'Molly, wait.' He said, rising from the bed slowly.

* * *

Their bags were packed and they were waiting to go home. It had turned in to a long and draining tour, and after everything that had happened they couldn't wait to get home to their families. Normally at the end of a tour they were excited and full of anticipation, but today it felt wrong to be excited. They were two members of the section down - Georgie was still in hospital, and Captain James hadn't yet returned.

'Georgie must be bad if the boss is still there with her.' Monk said. 'I wish I'd got her out of the water sooner. Maybe she would have been ok.'

'She's doing ok, Monk.' Maisie said. 'Kingy said she's awake now. Anyway there was nothing you could do. If you hadn't have been there and grabbed her she would have drowned. What more could you do?'

'Yeah you're a hero mate.' Brains said, nudging Monk. 'I bet you can't wait to see Harry.'

'I just can't wait to see his little face.' Monk said. 'I mean his real face, not a photo. I can't wait for him to know who his dad is.'

Kingy walked in to the courtyard, and set his Bergen down with the others. 'Are you all ready to meet that son of yours, Monk?' He said, with a smile on his face. 'Your life will never be the same again. There's no better day than the day you become a dad.'

Monk smiled, he couldn't wait to meet his son but he was nervous. What if Harry didn't like him? What if he cried and he didn't know how to soothe him? He thought back about that feeling he had when they were about to jump, and he realised he might never get to see his son. And then the euphoria of breaking out of the water at the bottom of the cliff, and realising that he had made it and would get to see Harry after all.

'As soon as we get back, you're getting your tooth sorted ready for the wedding.' Rab said, trying to lighten the situation.

Maisie snorted. 'Yeah right. Maybe I'll leave it the way it is. Then you'll back off.' Rab looked slightly upset, and then she nudged him hard in the ribs. 'Ow!' He said. 'Mind my ribs. They took a beating in that fall!'

'Baby.' She said, but more gently this time.

'Are you Alright, Ruby?' Fingers asked. Ruby had been very quiet ever since they got in the truck yesterday.

'Yeah.' He replied. 'I just want to get back you know. See my family, and that.'

Fingers nodded. Ruby had really grown on him during this tour. He was a really decent guy, and had grown to be an excellent medic. 'You did great yesterday, you know.' Brains said. 'Georgie would have been really proud. She will be really proud when she hears what you did.'

'I hope so.' said Ruby. 'I just want to know she's ok, you know.'

'We all do, mate.' Brains said, patting Ruby hard on the shoulder. 'We all do.'


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

'Molly.' Said Charlie, following her down the corridor.

'I'm busy.' She said, continuing to walk, not properly acknowledging him.

'Molly, wait.' He said. 'We need to talk.' He tried to grab her arm in an attempt to stop her, but she pulled it away from him and spun around.

'Oh, _what_ , Charles? I told ya I'm busy! I think we've both said all we need to say.'

His heart was thumping in his chest as he saw the fire in her eyes and thought about all the good times. How he felt when he opened his eyes after surgery and saw her waiting for him. Her smile at the front door when she returned after her first tour without him. How happy she looked when they opened the front door to their new home for the first time. It felt like a lifetime ago now, even though it was only a couple of years. How people can change, he thought to himself.

'I need to be honest with you.' He began.

She snorted. 'Oh now you want to be honest! Shame you didn't make that decision years ago, ain't it.'

'I don't want to argue.' He said. 'Look I'm sorry, for the way things have turned out. If I could turn the clock back.. well maybe things would be different. But I can't. I can't change what's already happened and I'm sorry.'

She said nothing for a few seconds and then looked up at him. The fiery anger he saw in her eyes just seconds before had been replaced with sadness, and he felt a pang of guilt deep in his gut.

'It's her, ain't it?'

'What is?' He asked.

'Georgie.' She said. 'I saw the way you looked at her. Like you used to look at me.'

He knew that he had to tell the truth. He was tired of lying.

'Yeah.' He said. 'Alright. There is something between us. But nothing happened until after you... after we, split up.'

She sighed, and then turned to leave again, but then she spun around and looked right in to his eyes. 'Maybe if you put half as much effort in to keeping our marriage going as you have in to watching out for her, we would still be together.'

'I didn't ask for this to happen.' He said, feeling anger bubbling up inside him. 'You're not entirely innocent in this either, Molly. You asked me to leave you. You made me feel worthless, like I wasn't good enough for you. Like I don't make you happy. You were the one who said we should put our relationship out of its misery.'

She shook her head, and took a few steps back. 'Why d'ya think I said that?' She said, her cheeks flushed - he could tell she was getting angry, but trying not to show it. 'Because you always choose the army over me. You will always choose the army over everything. It's like a drug to you Charles, you know it's bad for you but you just keep going back to it.' She paused, and then turned to leave. 'Georgie will find out soon enough when you let her down too.'

'I didn't ask for Elvis to die right in front of me. I-'

'Oh, fuck off, Charles!' She almost shouted it, and then looked around to check nobody was looking. 'Maybe if you stop blaming you being a complete asshole on Elvis' death and take responsibility for yourself then you might stop letting people down.'

And then she left, leaving him standing there in the middle of the corridor in a haze of worthlessness.

...

It took Charlie a long time to come back.

Once Georgie was alone with her own thoughts, she started to struggle with the events of the last 3 days. She hadn't even had time to process the explosion at the police station properly, and now she had the jump to deal with too. She was exhausted but every time she shut her eyes she saw that place again, the portal she had tried to explain to Charlie at the hospital before. She saw the water over her head as she struggled to get out of the current, pulled her helmet off in the confusion and hit her head.

When Charlie finally got back she was shaking. She had tears running down her face, and her heart was pounding in her chest.

'Hey, what's wrong?' He asked, genuinely concerned. He took her in to his arms and held her tightly.

'I don't know.' She cried. 'I just... I feel like everything I feel is wrong. I just don't know how I should feel.'

'What do you mean?' He asked, and when she hesitated he reminded her of what they had agreed. 'You can be honest with me Georgie. You must be honest. That's the only way this can work.'

'I want it to work.' She said softly. 'But I don't feel like it can. I don't deserve to be happy. I feel like I'm letting Elvis down. Letting Molly down.'

'Georgie.' He said gently, wiping her tears away and leaning his forehead gently against hers. 'You do deserve to be happy. Molly and I are over, she knows that and I know that. It was her that said we should put our relationship out of its misery, remember. Elvis would want you to be happy.'

She sat quietly for a couple of minutes, breathing deeply, trying to calm down. She knew it was the shock from the jump and her injuries that was making everything worse, but it all just seemed so hard. That was the problem with all this. One minute she knew exactly what she wanted - a couple of days ago when they sat on the edge of the hospital bed in Bangladesh, and he held her, and she admitted to how she felt. Then she had been sure that evening when she had visited him in his cabin. The next morning she felt hesitant - was it too soon? Did sleeping with Charlie make her a bad person? Was it disrespectful to Elvis? And then when they were about to jump from the cliff, pumped with adrenaline, not knowing if they would live or die it all seemed clear. Her feelings for him were clear. But now she was confused again, and she wanted with everything she had to be happy, but she just didn't know how to let herself.

'I told Molly.' Charlie said finally. 'She took it well.'

Georgie looked up at him strangely. 'She took it well? I thought we were supposed to be telling the truth.'

'Well.. you know what I mean. As well as she could.' He said.

'I doubt that.' Georgie said.

'She is happier without me.' He said. 'Me and Molly... well there is no me and Molly. We don't make each other happy anymore.'

'Are you sure?' Georgie said. 'You don't have to stick with me just because of what's happened. I won't be angry at you if you change your mind.'

Charlie was quiet for a minute, and she waited for him to respond. She wanted him to tell the truth, so she knew. But she wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear it.

'You want the truth?' He said. 'The whole truth?'

'And nothing but.' She said, smiling weakly.

He sighed. 'The truth is that I haven't been entirely truthful with you.'

She pulled out of his arms and looked up in to his eyes. They were full of fire again, like they had been before they lost Elvis, and when he was happier. Before he lost himself to the army.

'Georgie.' He said, gently pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. 'The truth is, I love you. And when I said I'm ok with taking things slowly, I lied. I don't want to waste anymore time. Not after everything that has happened. I promise I won't let you down.'

She was quiet for a few moments, and he was worried that he had got it wrong. But then she took his hand and squeezed it gently.

'Neither do I.' She said. 'Let's just get back home, and we can sort everything out properly.'

...

'How is everyone, Kingy?' Charlie asked.

Georgie was asleep and he knew he had to get back to his section soon. He wanted to be with her for as long as possible but he knew they would start to ask questions if he didn't go back. He had decided to phone, and he would go back in the morning.

'Yeah they're alright boss. Cuts and bruises. Monk's leg is superficial, he's been lucky.' Kingy replied. 'How's Lane?'

'She's alright.' Charlie replied. 'They say she will have to stay in at least a few days for monitoring because of the head injury. But apart from that and the broken arm, she's had a lucky escape.'

'When are you coming back, Boss?' Kingy asked.

'Um.. I should be back by 1200 hours tomorrow. I didn't get much sleep last night by the time I got here. I'll get my head down and drive back first thing.'

'Have you spoken to the Brig yet?' Kingy asked.

Charlie paused. 'Not yet. I haven't really had the time, Lane has needed quite a lot of support.'

Kingy was quite for a moment, and Charlie wondered what he was thinking.

'Be careful, boss.' Kingy said finally.

'I'm always careful.' Charlie joked, not really knowing how to respond.

'I mean with Lane.' Kingy said. 'Maybe I'm speaking out of line and for that I apologise, but I don't want to see you lose your career over this.'

'Why would I lose my career?' Charlie asked, but he knew exactly what he meant.

Kingy paused again. 'Look boss, Maybe I've got this completely wrong. Anyway you know the rules, especially after all that with Lane and Captain Harte. I just wanted... Well never mind.'

'I'll see you tomorrow.' Charlie said, taking a deep breath. 'Could you keep the guys updated on Lane.'

He ended the call and then let his breath out quickly. 'Fuck.' He breathed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note - thanks so much to everyone for taking the time to read this story and leave reviews. I'm not an experienced writer nor an expert in the army, and this is just my take on what I would like to happen between CJ and Georgie. It probably isn't very true to life and I don't have a team of experts to ask about army protocol, but I hope you enjoy it all the same :)**

 **If you are strongly against CJ and Georgie it's probably best to look away now as the rest of the story is predominantly about their journey**

Chapter five

A week later

Georgie smiled as Charlie opened the door of the car and held it open like a chauffeur. 'Your carriage awaits.'

'You're an idiot.' She laughed.

He smiled. It was good to see her laugh again. The past week had been hard on both of them, and leaving hospital and going back to real life seemed like a new beginning.

Georgie climbed in to the car and sat in the front seat, leaning against the back of the chair gently. Charlie got in to the drivers seat and began to drive.

'Are you sure you want to come to my mums?' Georgie asked.

'Yeah, why not?' He said.

She paused. 'Because... I don't know. My family are a bit weird?'

He laughed. 'Charming. Not as weird as mine, I can promise you.'

Now that Georgie had been discharged and they were back from Bangladesh, Georgie was going home to her parents house. She needed some time to process everything that had happened before deciding what to do next.

'Are you trying to get rid of me?' Charlie grinned.

'No.' She smiled, placing her good hand gently on his leg. 'I just need to spend some time with them, you know. Catch up, clear my head. And you have things to sort out too.'

She was right, he knew that. He needed to catch up with his own parents, his son and go and see a lawyer to sort out his divorce. Molly had served divorce papers and he knew they were waiting for him at home. As much as he wanted Georgie to be around, he knew this was something he had to face on his own. It wasn't going to be easy signing his life with Molly away. Their marriage had been over a long time ago but that didn't stop it hurting. He wanted to close that door so he could open a new one with Georgie. He felt the two needed to be separate.

He also needed to speak to Kingy again. He knew he was putting him in an awkward position now that he knew - or at least he thought he knew. He also needed to speak to the brigadier and admit that things had changed between he and Georgie, before it all came out. He frowned and rubbed his forehead, wishing that he could just stay in these first few moments back home with Georgie before had had to go and face up to the consequences.

It took a few hours to get to Georgie's parents house. She fell asleep half way there and every now and again Charlie glanced at her, tracing the outline of her profile with his eyes. She was beautiful. He felt like every day his feelings for her deepened, and he was absolutely determined to make this work. He loved the army, but if the last couple of weeks had taught him anything it was that he was prepared to accept the consequences, whatever that might be, if they had a chance to make this work and be happy, together.

'Georgie?' He said softly, as they pulled up outside her parents house. Max, Grace and her sisters were already outside, banners at the ready. It had been a long time since he last saw them - in fact it was the day that he had to go to the registry office and tell Georgie that Elvis wasn't coming to their wedding. 'Georgie, we're back.'

She stirred and then jumped suddenly, a look of terror in her eyes.

'Hey!' He said, grabbing her hand. 'you're ok.'

She took a deep breath, and nodded. It took her a few seconds to regain composure. Finally, she sighed, and looked back over at the house. 'Sorry. I dropped off. Oh god, look at the banners!'

'You better get out of the car before they send out a search party!' Charlie joked.

He opened the car door for her again and she smiled as Grace rushed forward and grabbed her daughter in to her arms.

'Ow Mum, be careful! My arm!'

'There's our girl!' Max grinned, stepping forward and putting his arms around Georgie.

Charlie stood awkwardly by the car while Georgie hugged her family, and they fussed over her broken arm. After a few minutes Grace turned to face him.

'Thank you for bringing our Georgie home.' She said. 'Come in, we've loads of food.'

Charlie accepted, and followed them in. He knew that they had no idea what had gone on between him and Georgie. As far as they knew, he was just her captain, dropping her home. He wondered how things might play out once they knew what was really going on.

...

'Look.' Marie hissed at Lulu as they stood by the living room window, in the dark, watching Georgie say goodbye to Charlie. 'Do you see what I see?!'

'Oh shut up.' Lulu said. 'He's her Captain! He was Elvis' best friend.'

They stood there watching the pair talk in the front of Charlie's car.

'It looks like she's crying.' Lulu said.

'Maybe they're talking about Elvis.'

The light flicked on suddenly, and the girls jumped back from the window.

'What are you two doing?' Grace asked.

'Mum! For gods sake!' Marie said.

'Oh I'm sorry, were you spying? Sorry but you're not very good spies!' Grace laughed.

Marie rolled her eyes, and walked away from the window. 'Somethings going on between those two, you wait and see.' She said.

...

Georgie watched as Charlie drove off up the road, and suddenly she felt empty. She wanted to shout after him, make him come back, but she knew she had to face civilian life on her own for a bit.

She went inside and up to bed. Lying on the bed, she glanced over at the window, remembering what it was like when Elvis used to climb in to her window and surprise her. She had always slept with the window open a crack then, just in case he wanted to get in. She remembered the time when she had hidden and he climbed in, and then she jumped on top of him and surprised him for a change.

She still missed Elvis so much. When she allowed herself to think about how much she felt for Charlie, she felt guilty. Guilty for allowing herself to be close to someone else, guilty for allowing herself to be happy without him. She wished she could move on, allow herself to love Charlie freely, allow herself some happiness. But every time she did, the thought of Elvis' burnt face flashed back in her mind and she became unsure again. She didn't understand how it was possible to love two people at the same time.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

When Charlie finally got back to Bath, he opened his front door and the house felt so empty. He always felt like this to some extent when he returned from tour; on tour he and 2 section were on top of each other constantly, in tight conditions, with loud noises and action pretty much constantly. Going home to a dark, quiet place with his own space felt lonely to start with. Especially now that Molly was no longer here to greet him. Instead there was a large brown envelope lying on the doormat, a double reminder that things were over and she wasn't coming back.

He went straight up to his bedroom, the one he once shared with Molly. The chest of drawers they had chosen together was gone. He opened up the wardrobe, and the space once filled with her clothes was empty. His small collection of shirts hung solitarily at one end of the empty space.

He threw himself back on the bed and lay there for a good ten minutes, his mind buzzing. He wished that Georgie was here with him, to distract him from his own thoughts. He remembered the panic he felt when he climbed out of the river and he couldn't see her. He thought about the softness of her lips on his that night before they had rescued Sumon. The confusion he felt when he had seen Molly unexpectedly. He wished more than anything that he could just see things clearly.

...

'Are you awake?' Grace whispered.

Georgie felt the light from the landing flood the room as her door opened a crack, and she heard the pad of her Mum's slippers as she walked over to the bed. She lay still as she felt her sit down on the edge of the bed, and start to stroke her head just as she had done when she was a little girl.

'It's good to have you back, George.' She said.

Georgie felt tears prick her eyes and all of a sudden she just wanted to be held. She turned over in bed and put her arms around her Mum, letting out huge sobs as she did so.

'Shh.' Grace said, holding her tight. 'It's ok. I'm here.'

'It's all such a mess, Mum.' Georgie cried.

'What is?' Grace asked softly.

Georgie didn't know how to explain it. She could hardly make sense of it in her own mind, let alone try to explain it to someone else. Grace sat patiently until she was ready to talk.

'Do you think it's possible to love two people at the same time?' Georgie sniffed finally, once she had cried out most of the tension that had been building up ever since Charlie returned to 2 section following his injury.

Grace thought for a moment. 'Yes, I suppose so.' And then it suddenly dawned on her. 'Have you met someone else?'

'It's not really like that.' Georgie said. 'I've known him for a long time. But things have changed - I feel like I want more than friendship now. But I still love Elvis just as much as I did the day he died.'

Grace nodded. She knew exactly who Georgie was talking about.

'Elvis is gone, love.' Grace said softly. 'You'll always love him, that will never go away. But you have to learn to live with that, and get on with your life. He wouldn't want you to give up on love. He would want you to be happy.'

Georgie thought about it. It would be more simple if it wasn't Charlie. If it was someone new, completely unconnected to her past. She wasn't sure how to move on when they were both stuck in their grief over Elvis.

'I feel like I'm betraying him.' Georgie said, after a few moments. 'Going behind his back.'

'Don't be ridiculous.' Grace said, holding Georgie close. 'He's gone, Georgie. He isn't coming back. It's not your fault and there's nothing you can do about it.'

Georgie said nothing. She knew it made sense but that wasn't how she felt. She couldn't help her feelings.

'Do you love him?' Grace asked. 'Charlie?'

'How did you know it's him?' Georgie asked, looking up at her Mum.

'It's the way he looks at you.' Grace said. 'I saw it across the dinner table. When he was saying goodbye to you. He clearly thinks the world of you.'

'And I do of him.' Georgie said. 'But he was Elvis' best friend. Every time I let myself love him I feel guilty and try to talk myself out of it. I don't want to fight it anymore, I'm so tired.'

'Then don't fight it.' Grace said. 'The way I see it, it's quite simple. He loves you, and you love him. You deserve to be happy, both of you. Be honest with yourself. If you want to be with him, be with him. Life is too short Georgie, the last couple of weeks must have proven that.'

Georgie nodded. If only it were that simple. 'But the army - it's his life. We can't be together and serve together. If anyone found out...'

Grace took her hands. 'The army is your career, I know that. But at the end, when you're old and looking back on your lives and about to leave the earth, it won't be your career that matters. It will be the love that you have around you, and the moments you have shared with the people you love that you look back on.'

Georgie listened and nodded. And it was like all of a sudden, for the first time since Elvis' death, she could finally see clearly.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Charlie heard a knock on the front door, and threw the duvet off in his sudden rush to get out of bed. He had taken a long time to fall asleep the night before and had woken up multiple times, and the lack of sleep meant he had woken up confused and groggy. He glanced at the alarm clock on the side table - it was only 8.30. He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed as the knock on the door became louder.

'Alright.' He shouted. 'I'm just coming.' He was in a bad mood. He hadn't slept well and all night he had dreamed of the explosion at the Police station, the feeling of despair when he had waited at the hospital to be allowed in after the explosion, the feeling of panic he felt when he couldn't see her in the water, the longing he felt for her when the helicopter took her away from him. He wanted nothing more than to clear his mind and sleep, but he couldn't.

And then he opened the front door and she was right in front of him.

'What- what are you doing here?' He asked, raising one eye brow. 'So early? How did you get here?'

'I couldn't sleep.' She said. She seemed nervous. 'I got the first train.'

He opened the door wider and took her hand, leading her inside. 'Did you miss me?' He asked.

'Yeah.' She said, as he shut the door and put one arm around her back. 'Why do you think I'm here?'

He wanted to kiss her but he hadn't had a shower since he got back.

'I would kiss you but I haven't brushed my teeth.' He joked.

'I've spent enough time with you in your sweaty uniform.' She said. 'Do you really think I'm worried about your teeth?'

He kissed her gently, wrapping his arms around her. She relaxed in to his grip and before she knew it, it felt natural, and for the first time it felt completely right. 'I need to tell you something.' She stopped him, pulling away from him.

'Oh?' He asked, hesitantly. 'I hope it's not goodbye?'

She sighed. 'Of course not. Do you think I would have come all the way here just to say that?'

'Well I hope you wouldn't have dumped me by text.' He joked, half heartedly.

She looked in to his eyes and realised they looked so dull, and tired. The cheeky spark he usually had was missing.

They moved in to the living room, and curled up on the sofa. Charlie put his arm across the back of the sofa, and Georgie leant into him, feeling safe against the warmth of his bare chest.

'When I woke up at the bottom of the cliff,' she began, 'the first thing that I wanted was to see you.'

He squeezed her shoulder gently, taking care not to hurt her broken arm.

'I know things haven't been easy.' She continued. 'I've been so caught up in Elvis and what happened before, that it's been so difficult to look to the future. But I do want this. I do want to move forwards, and I want to do that with you.'

Charlie kissed the top of her head gently. 'I told you, it's ok for him to be a part of us.' He said.

'I know.' Georgie said, placing her hand inside his and entwining her fingers. 'And neither of us will ever forget him, but I feel like we need to move forwards with our lives. I don't want to waste any more time feeling upset and angry about what's happened. It's what we do next that counts. The memories we make together.'

He nodded. 'We will make plenty.'

Georgie looked up at Charlie. She could see the sadness and the hurt in his eyes, the pain. The things he had seen, and experienced in the past few years had broken him.

'I want us to get better.' She whispered. 'I don't want to see you hurting.'

He didn't know what to say. It was difficult for him to let people see inside him, the real him. When he was Captain James, his uniform kept that hidden, and other people out. Georgie was one of the only people he had allowed in. Molly used to see what was inside, but he shut her out a long time ago when he knew that things were over.

'I want to do this together.' She said. 'I want to get help, talk to someone outside the pair of us. We both need to process what has happened so that we can move forward. And once we have done that, if we are both happier and ready to move on from everything, I hope that we can build our lives together.'

He wasn't sure about counselling but he was sure about his feelings for Georgie, and he knew that she was right. He had promised to always be honest with her and if he couldn't be honest to himself about his deepest feelings, he knew he wouldn't be able to stick to that promise.

'Ok.' He said. 'But I need to ask you something too.'

'What?'

'I can't almost lose you again.' He said. 'I nearly lost you two days in a row. I can't go through that again. I love you too much.'

'I love you too.' She answered honestly. It was the first time she had told him that. 'I'm going to stay off tour for a while. Help train the new medics. See how things go.'

He was relieved at the thought of her being safe in the UK, at least for a while. He kissed her gently at first, but before long he felt the heat from her body pressing against his, and his kisses became more urgent. It was only the second time that they had made love, and the first time they had done it since being back from tour. The first time had been so gentle yet full of emotion, and Georgie had felt so conflicted she didn't know whether it felt right or wrong. This time he was less gentle, it felt like they both needed each other and at that moment they had to be as close as they possibly could.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

The first few sessions of counselling were harder than Charlie ever thought possible. It was exhausting going through every single detail of the events that had brought him here, to how he was now.

He came to realise that in order to be able to recover from his PTSD, he first had to resurface all of the events and feelings he had gone through in order to get here. He had buried so much of it without properly processing it that it had built up in the depths of his mind, a bit like a cork being pushed further and further in to a bottle of champagne that had been shaken and shaken to bursting point. He went through his near death experiences, the time Molly had saved him, the time he had watched Elvis be blasted off the roof in front of his eyes. He had always thought it was Elvis' death that had triggered all of this, but it turned out that it had started long before that. He had never had time to fully process the events of that tour with Molly, and had busied himself in further missions hoping that by burying the angst he felt he would forget it and be able to move on. But in fact he had done the opposite.

At times he allowed himself to wonder how things might have turned out with Molly if he had sought help sooner. It took him so long to admit he had a problem that by then, it had ripped apart his sense of self and his sense of security, affected his decision making and his ability to keep his marriage going. He didn't regret what had happened because if he hadn't have gone through everything that had happened he wouldn't have ended up with Georgie, and he loved her very much, but he did wonder how differently things might have turned out.

He acknowledged that it was ok to feel happy, and enjoy his time with Georgie but they had to continue to be honest with each other if it was going to work. If they buried their feelings the same could happen again, and more than anything he didn't want that to happen.

It became a little easier to talk about his feelings with each session, but Charlie suffered with a lot of nightmares. As his mind was constantly processing things that he had buried for so long, he kept replaying them in his mind over and over again and this included at night. He woke up shouting or crying in the night fairly often, and Georgie was always there to comfort him.

One night after a particularly bad nightmare in which he processed the events in the jungle in Belize, he woke up drenched in sweat to find Georgie desperately holding him tightly, her hands either side of his face, just like she had done in the hut at the air base just before they were rescued.

'Charlie you're safe.' She said soothingly. 'You're safe. It's just another nightmare.'

Once he realised where he was, he managed to calm his breathing and lay back against the pillow exhausted.

'Do you want a glass of water?' Georgie asked softly.

He shook his head, and turned to face her. 'You're amazing, you know.'

'I think you're still having a dream.' She joked, resting her forehead on his.

He shook his head. 'You are.' He said. 'I don't know what I would do without you, supporting me.'

'We support each other.' She said. 'I rely on you, you rely on me. That's how this works.'

'Marry me.' He said, suddenly.

Georgie didn't know what to say. She swallowed and stared at him in the darkness.

'Ask me again in the morning.' She said eventually. 'You might not remember.'

He sat up in bed and turned the light on. She squinted and pulled the covers up over her head. 'Hey! Turn it off!'

'You think I'm not serious?' He said, flicking the light switch back off again.

'Not... not serious' she said. 'Just half asleep!'

'I told you.' He said. 'I will always be honest with you. And here I am being honest with you. I love you, Georgie Lane.'

She blinked at him in the dark. It wasn't how she had imagined it. She loved Charlie, more now than she ever had done. She did want to spend the rest of her life with him, but it was the thought of getting engaged that made her anxious. The last time she was engaged it hadn't ended well.

'I'm sorry.' He said. 'I shouldn't have made things awkward. It's too soon. I don't want to put pressure on you.'

She shook her head. 'It's not that.' She said. 'I just...'

'I know.' He said softly. 'I understand. It's fine.'

But it wasn't fine. More than anything she wanted to be happy with him, to move forwards and build their lives together. But it felt like there was always an invisible barrier getting in the way.

'I do want to be with you.' She said, feeling a sudden distance between them. 'I just... I'm scared.'

He took her hand, breaking the distance. 'Scared of what?'

'Losing you, I guess. Like I lost Elvis.'

'I'm not going anywhere.' He said. 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and if that means giving up the army then I'll do it. I just want to be with you.'

'I can't make you do that.' Georgie whispered, her heart thumping in her chest. 'The army is your life.'

Charlie pulled her close to him, and she snuggled in to his chest, closing her eyes.

'You're my life.' He said. 'We can't serve together, and I can't be apart from you. So I don't have any other option.'

'Are you sure?' She whispered.

'Absolutely certain.' He said. 'I'm ready. I don't want to go back.' He had been signed off while going through treatment for his PTSD, and now he was beginning to break through it all, he didn't think he could ever go back.

'Then so am I.' She said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors note - thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to carry on reading my story and leave feedback. I do think that despite their PTSD, Georgie and Charlie have a chance to work through that and make their relationship a success. I have to agree with previous posters that you can see signs of their chemistry from series 2. TG might not have intended it to go anywhere at that stage because he didn't know Luke was going to leave, but I don't think that would stop him laying down the foundations for possible storylines later on. In fact all the way from the beginning of series 2 I have expected CJ and Georgie to get together. As for CJ and Molly I know they used to look at each other longingly but I also felt that was a bit over the top and unrealistic. I don't think many relationships start like that in real life. Remember he was a lot older than her and more experienced, so it's actually quite possible that they would have grown apart as she gained more life experience. I still think that Georgie and CJ didn't do anything wrong, remember from Belize that Molly had asked him to leave her at that point and so there is quite a period of time between that and him returning to 2 section for their relationship to continue to break down. As for the comments about Georgie jumping in to bed with him I don't think that's fair either - he admitted his feelings for her in Belize and I think the first time she gave in to her feelings was the scene in the airport hut, as he told her he 'thinks the world of her' and then passed out. That scene between them is really intense. So you have a period of at least 6 months and probably closer to a year where she tries to block those feelings and does nothing. It's the shock of the explosion that finally brings them together and who can blame them for that?**

 **Thats just my thoughts on it. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter nine

'Third time lucky, eh, Dad?' Georgie smiled as Max watched Grace push the tiara in to their daughter's hair delicately, the finishing touch.

They all laughed, but Max was nervous. His daughter's first two weddings hasn't exactly gone as planned. He had watched as his daughter had fallen apart following Elvis' death, and despite the fact that she seemed happier these days, he knew his daughter well enough to know that she wasn't fully over it. She never would be. More than anything he wanted Georgie to be happy, and have a happy marriage like he had with Grace. But she was his little girl, and he wasn't quite ready to let her go.

'We are going to be late!' Marie said, appearing in the doorway. 'Wow!' She said, as her sister turned to look at her.

'What do you think?' Georgie asked.

'I think we need to get a move on, or this one will think you've stood him up as well.'

'Ha ha.' Georgie said mockingly, picking up the train of her dress and starting to walk towards the door. 'Mum?'

'Oh sorry love!' Grace said, rushing forward to help Georgie with her dress. She looked so beautiful, and it brought tears to her eyes to see her daughter so happy and full of hope again after what had happened in the past few years. What was more, Charlie was so lovely. She could tell how much he loved Georgie just by the way he looked at her. Elvis had loved her too, they had adored each other - but their relationship had been turbulent, he had let her down so badly. She could tell that Charlie wouldn't let her down. They had been through too much together.

Georgie felt sick all the way to the service. She didn't know why she felt so nervous. After everything that had happened in Bangladesh, she had promised herself not to waste anymore time. Their time together was precious, and neither of them knew how long they might have.

Last night she had finally taken the chain holding Elvis' ring from round her neck. It felt strange to be without it after all this time, but it felt like the last piece of the puzzle in moving on. 'I won't forget you.' She had whispered, holding the ring in her hand. 'I hope you understand. I'll always love you but it's time for me to be happy again.'

Charlie stood nervously at the front of the room, waiting for Georgie to arrive. It was third time lucky for him too. There was no way that he was going to let this marriage break down.

Behind him, the whole of 2 section sat in their dress uniforms, waiting for Georgie to arrive.

'When I told her to upgrade, I didn't think she would go for the boss!' Maisie said, nudging Rab.

'Eh?' Rab asked, confused. He hadn't been part of Georgie and Maisie's conversation in Bangladesh.

'I think they are good together.' Ruby said. 'They deserve to be happy.'

'Oh yeah.' Maisie said. 'Of course. It's just not what I expected, that's all!'

'Alright boss?' Maisie asked out of habit, as Charlie turned round to look around the room. He was no longer their boss - he had done what he had promised, realising that he and Georgie would no longer be able to serve together, and there was no way he could be happy if he was apart from her. Kingy had taken over as captain of 2 section. He knew that he would never be completely over what had happened, but he felt a lot better. He felt like he could function now as himself, Charlie - he didn't have to hide behind Captain James anymore.

The buzz of voices in the room died down as the doors opened and the music turned up a notch. Charlie looked eagerly towards the door, waiting for Georgie to enter. He hadn't yet seen her in her wedding dress, but if the dress she had worn for her first wedding was anything to go by, he knew she would look absolutely stunning.

The flower girls and his son who was pageboy entered first, followed by Georgie with her Dad on her arm. Charlie felt his stomach flip as he caught sight of how amazing she looked. He wondered how he had got so lucky. He had another chance at being happy.

As the door opened and Georgie entered the room, she felt breathless. The light from the windows above shone in her eyes, and when she was able to see again she looked to the front and saw Charlie. She gripped tighter on to her dad's arm as she walked a few steps forward, with all eyes in the room on her.

It was strange. This was the third wedding she had planned, yet the first time she was walking down the aisle. She had always imagined this moment to be with Elvis - his smiling face at the front, him blowing her a cheeky kiss as she walked down the aisle like that last kiss he had blown her, the morning he died. It had taken Georgie a long time to come to terms with Elvis' death, and although she would never be fully over it she finally felt at peace with her decision. She knew he would want her to be happy, and with Charlie she was just that.

As she came to the front of the room and took Charlie's hands, she smiled and rested her forehead on his. It was such an intense moment, like everything that had happened in the last four years was about to end, and this was their new beginning.

'Are you ok?' He whispered.

'Yeah.' She smiled. 'You?'

'Yeah.' He said. 'Never better.'


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

The first few months of their marriage seemed to pass by in a flash. They had a lovely honeymoon touring around Europe, and when they got back they moved in to a new home.

'Morning, Mrs James.' Charlie grinned one Saturday morning, pushing the door open with the edge of a breakfast tray. 'Are you alive?'

Georgie groaned and pulled the covers over her head. 'It's too early!'

'Too early?!' Charlie said jokingly. 'Remind me again what time we used to get up on tour? 0500 hours wasn't it?'

'All those early starts has broken me!' Georgie yawned. 'I still haven't caught up.'

Charlie climbed in to bed next to her and started munching his way through a plate of bacon sandwiches. 'Do you want one? I made some for you.'

Georgie pulled the covers off her head but the smell of the bacon immediately made her stomach churn. 'No.' She said. 'Thanks.'

'Go on!' He said. 'There's no better heroes breakfast than a bacon sandwich. It will sort your hangover out!'

All of a sudden she jumped out of bed and ran across the room and out in to the hallway, a hand clamped tightly over her mouth. Charlie carried on munching on his bacon sandwich for a few moments, before the sound of her throwing up in the bathroom put him off the rest of his breakfast. 'Nice.' He muttered, setting the plate down on the side and strolling in to the hallway. 'Georgie? Are you ok?'

'Yeah.' She replied weakly. 'I'll be out in a minute.'

'That'll teach you for having too much to drink.' He said.

Last night they had gone for drinks with the original 2 section. It was good to catch up with everyone. Things had changed for many of them since they had all returned from Bangladesh. Monk proudly showed off photos of his son - he was walking and talking already. Brains had a new girlfriend, and Ruby was now an experienced medic. Rab was still with 2 section but Maisie had moved to a different section because they were now engaged. Fingers had tried again for special forces and had been successful this time. They had all been on tours since Bangladesh, and had filled Charlie and Georgie in on all the things they had missed.

Although Charlie was happy with his life now, he did feel a little hint of jealousy hearing about their adventures. He enjoyed the job he had now, working with troubled teenagers and trying to get their lives back on track, but it would never be as exciting or exhilarating as his time in the army. That was the funny thing about the army. There had been plenty of shit bits, times that had very nearly broken him. His medical discharge had been a huge relief and had been a turning point in terms of his mental health. But he still looked back on his time fondly.

'I didn't even have that much to drink.' Georgie said, emerging from the bathroom. 'I didn't feel right last night either so I only had a couple. I think it might be that lunch we had yesterday.'

'Well I'm fine.' Charlie said. 'Anyway what are you saying about my cooking? I'm a bloody good chef!'

She smiled weakly. 'If you don't mind I'm going back to bed.'

'I'll get you some water.' He said.

When he went back in to the bedroom with a glass of water, Georgie was already asleep. He set the glass down on the side, before tucking the covers gently over her and kissing her forehead. 'Night.' He said.

When Georgie woke up, she felt a little better. She rolled over and noticed the glass of water on the side, with a little note of paper resting against it. 'Gone for a run. Sleep well. Love you xx' She smiled, and then stretched before getting out of bed.

As she got up the room began to spin and she sat back down on the edge of the bed for a few moments, letting the blood run back out of her head. She hadn't felt this ill for ages - but it couldn't be food poisoning if Charlie didn't have it too. Come to think of it, she had been feeling exhausted for a couple of weeks. Maybe a virus, she thought.

She padded in to the bathroom and took her pyjamas off, before turning the shower on to warm up. Whilst she waited her eyes caught on a box of tampons that she had left on the side. They were collecting dust, they had been there for ages. Suddenly it occurred to her that this wasn't food poisoning and it probably wasn't a virus. She hadn't had a period for six weeks.

She turned the water off and rummaged in the bathroom cabinet for the pregnancy test she remembered putting in there weeks earlier, when they had moved in. Whilst they hadn't been trying for a baby she always liked to keep one just in case. She ripped it out of its packaging and set it down on the bathroom worktop, staring at it for a few seconds.

Suddenly Charlie burst in to the bathroom without warning. She hadn't even heard him come back from his run.

'Sorry I couldn't wait.' He said, pushing past her and lifting the lid of the toilet. As he did so, his eyes fell on the open packaging she had left on the side. Georgie felt her cheeks flush and her heart began to pound in her chest.

'Is that...' he said hesitantly. 'Are you...?'

'I don't know.' She said, shaking. 'I haven't done it yet.'

She studied his expression. She couldn't tell if he looked more excited or worried.

They stood there for a minute, both staring at the test, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally Charlie picked up the test and placed it in to her hand. 'Better get on with it.' He said.

'What will you do if it's positive?' Georgie asked. Suddenly she felt insecure, and scared. She wanted to be excited but she was also nervous, and that familiar old feeling returned that she hadn't felt in a long time.

'What do you mean, what will I do?' Charlie asked. 'I suppose... I'll have to get painting the spare room!'

Georgie looked at the floor, and pulled the test out of his grip. 'Would you be alright with that?'

'Well I bloody hate painting.' Charlie said, but then he grinned. 'But I guess I can live with it. Let's find out.'


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

As Georgie's tiny bump began to grow, she began to feel a bit better. As the date of her first scan approached, she felt more and more excited about the tiny little person growing inside her. Before long they would be 3. She loved to picture what he or she might look like - she imagined the baby to have her dark hair and eyes, but Charlie's curls and handsome profile.

The day before the twelve week scan, Charlie and Georgie were on their way to Georgie's parents house to make their announcement. They had considered waiting until after the scan but Georgie knew she might not see her parents again for a few weeks, and it was killing her keeping this a secret for as long as she had.

'We can send them the scan photo tomorrow.' She said to Charlie as they pulled off the motorway. 'I just want them to know.'

'Your call.' Charlie said, resting his hand gently on Georgie's stomach, affectionately.

It had been a shock at first. For a few days Charlie was in shock. He acted like he was fine with it, but really the pregnancy brought back some old feelings of uncertainty and worry. He wasn't sure if he could be the dad that this baby deserved. Although he had made an effort to make amends with his older son recently, the truth was that he hadn't really been around that much when he was a baby and so he was quite clueless about what was involved in looking after a newborn.

'Do you think it will have my nose or yours?' Georgie asked, a playful grin on her face.

'Why?' Charlie asked, challenging her.

'Well... I hope it gets mine.' Georgie grinned.

'There's nothing wrong with this nose.' Charlie said, in mock annoyance.

Suddenly Georgie let out a cry and grabbed on to the door handle.

'Georgie?' Charlie asked. 'What's wrong?'

She released her hand, and then let out a long breath. 'That hurt.' She said. 'I've been having a few of these cramps... I think it's just growing pains. Everything stretching.'

'Are you sure?' He asked. 'Do you want me to stop?'

'No, no, I'm fine.' She said. 'I feel better already.'

He relaxed a bit, and carried on driving. But a few seconds later she cried out again, this time he could tell she was in serious pain. He quickly indicated and pulled off the road in to a side road.

'Do you think you need to see a doctor?' He asked, trying to stay calm and suppress the panic which was rising in his stomach.

'I don't know.' She said, clutching her stomach - he could tell she was still in a lot of pain.

'I'm taking you to the hospital.' He said suddenly. 'Can you direct me? I have no idea where we are.'

'No, stop!' She said, grabbing his hand just as he was about to pull away. She felt something warm between her legs, and when she looked down there was a pool of blood soaking through her jeans. 'Shit!' She cried. 'Charlie I'm bleeding.'

The panic in her voice and her eyes made him panic too, and as much as he tried he just couldn't remain calm.

'I'm scared.' She said, writhing in pain.

He took a deep breath. 'I need you to be my captain.' He remembered her saying, when they were in the jungle and he was close to losing control. 'I need you to drive us. And if we survive, it's because of you.'

He opened up the sat nav in his phone and found the nearest hospital.

'It's ok.' He said, more confidently than he felt. 'Let's get you to the hospital. It'll be ok.'

It felt like they had to wait for hours for the doctor to come around. By the time they were finally seen, the pain and the bleeding had died down and Georgie had changed in to a gown in place of her blood soaked jeans. Charlie tried to keep her positive but she didn't feel very positive at all. There had been so much blood, and she had been in agony.

The doctor wheeled in the scanner, and Georgie gripped Charlie's hand tight, scared of what was to come. He squeezed her hand back, and stroked his thumb against hers gently, trying to reassure her. He tried to be the captain figure she needed to stay strong, but inside he was petrified. He knew he had to be strong for her, but it was so hard not to crumble. He had grown attached to the idea of the 2 of them becoming 3 over the past few weeks. He liked putting his hand gently on her bump, and feeling the soft curve of the life growing inside her. The life they had created, half her and half him. He felt a lump in his throat as the doctor squeezed some gel on to Georgie's stomach and began to move the wand over her skin.

Georgie's heart thumped in her chest as she waited for those words. Sorry, there's nothing we can do. She shut her eyes and tried to brace herself. Then she felt Charlie shaking next to her, and she opened her eyes suddenly to see him falling apart right before her eyes.

'There we go.' The doctor said. 'That's the heart beat.'

'What... what do you mean?' Georgie asked, in shock. 'It's still alive?'

'Yes.' Said the doctor. 'All looks just fine. That's your baby right there.'

Charlie couldn't control his emotions. The relief and the elation of seeing his baby on the screen was too much. He tried to choke back tears as he watched the hum of its little heart beat on the screen.

'Looks like you have a little fighter.' The doctor said. 'We will have to get to the bottom of the reason for the bleeding, but baby looks unaffected at the moment.'

Once the gel had been wiped off and the doctor took the scanner away, Charlie put his arm around Georgie's neck and his other hand back proudly on her stomach.

'I'm sorry.' He said.

'What for?' She asked.

'I tried to be strong for you.' He said. 'I'm sorry.'

'You don't need to be strong for me.' She whispered. 'We are a team, Charlie. Its not a weakness to show emotion.'

He kissed her gently. 'I can't wait to be a family. I can already tell this baby's going to be just like you. A fighter.'

'Me too.' She said, and stroked her bump gently.

Charlie paused, then grinned. 'There is one thing I'm a bit worried about though.'

'What?' Georgie asked, intrigued.

'I hope he or she doesn't follow trouble like you!'

Georgie laughed. 'This baby is never joining the army. I'm going to keep he or she locked up at home until they're at least 30!'

Charlie smiled, and then leant down to plant a gentle kiss on her stomach.

'I love you.' He said. 'Please don't do that to me again.'


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

Charlie woke up at the sound of the bathroom door opening, and Georgie padding across the landing. He rolled over and watched as she opened the bedroom door and crept in, wrapped in a towel which barely covered her growing bump. He cleared his throat.

'Sorry - I didn't mean to wake you on your day off.' She said, pulling the towel off and throwing it down on to the floor.

'You didn't.' He said. 'I was already awake.'

He sat up and watched as she started to get dressed. Her bump was growing fast now - she'd had a little one for ages but it had started to become obvious to strangers now. There was no denying it. He watched as she pulled up her camo trousers and then struggled to do up the waist.

'I think I'm going to need another pair of these.' She joked, securing them with a hair elastic for now.

'Well it won't be long until you're on maternity leave.' He said, matter of fact, leaning back against the pillows.

Georgie pulled on her T-shirt and then turned to face him. She could tell there was something on his mind.

'Are you ok?' She asked, pulling her hair back in to a ponytail.

He said nothing for a few moments. And then he shrugged.

'I just... I wish I could be there with you, you know. Keep you safe. Make sure they're treating you ok.'

'I'm only doing training.' Georgie replied, fastening a hair band around her hair. 'They've done about a hundred risk assessments. And it's not like I'm on tour. What could happen?'

'I know.' He said. 'I just miss it. Being there with you.'

She turned around and watched him for a few seconds. He looked preoccupied this morning. For the past year he had seemed happier, more positive. But not today. That was the difficult thing about this journey, he had good days and he had bad days. The slightest thing could set off a memory, and that was enough to trigger a bad day.

'Charlie.' She said softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and placing her hand on top of his. 'Talk to me.'

He still found it so hard to open up. He wanted he to worry about herself and the baby, use her energy on growing the life inside her. Not worrying about him.

'Do you regret leaving?' She asked.

'I don't regret it.' He said, trying to put in to words how he felt. 'I just... miss it, I suppose. Being with you. Working together. It's hard seeing you go off every day.'

'Well you have the project.' She said, running her thumb down the side of his hand gently. 'You're doing a great job there.'

He nodded. He did enjoy his job now. It was just that the army was for a long time all he had known, and it was difficult to get used to this life, even after all this time. Especially when Georgie was still in the army. He found himself remembering the times they had spent together on tour, the times they had supported each other. He trusted her completely but when he was having a bad day, the thought of someone else being there and supporting her was enough to tip him over the edge.

'Do you wish... things hadn't happened between us? The way they did?' Georgie asked.

'No!' Charlie replied instantly. There weren't many things he was sure about, but being with Georgie was one of them. 'Never for a second. I would give up everything for you again in a heartbeat.'

'I never asked you to.' She said softly, and then let go of his hand and rose from the bed.

'Georgie!' He said, as she picked up her bag from the floor and hung it over her shoulder. 'Georgie, wait.'

'I have to go.' She said.

'Thats not what I meant.' He said. 'Please stay.'

'I'll be late.' She said, and opened the bedroom door. 'I'll see you later.'

...

When Georgie arrived home she was exhausted. This week she had a new set of recruits to train, and they needed a lot of hand holding. She wasn't sure if her patience was wearing thin because she was generally worn out, or whether the recruits were getting more and more needy. On days like these, all she wanted to do was crawl in to bed and crash out for the night. As she turned her key in the lock she thought about her conversation with Charlie that morning and she sighed, wondering what sort of a mood he would be in when she got in.

There had been many days like these at the beginning. Nightmares, bad moods, irritability, and irrational reactions to triggers like loud bangs. She had learned to deal with it and help Charlie through the difficult days, and gradually they became less regular. By the time they had got married, 99% of days were good and it was only very occasionally that he seemed to struggle. And now all of a sudden, there they were again.

She didn't regret her life with Charlie, not one bit. She loved him immensely, but it was hard at times. She had promised to support him through his journey with PTSD and that is what she would do, but adding being pregnant in to the equation made it so much harder. She just didn't have as much energy and patience as she had done before, and that was hard because naturally she wanted to help him and be there for him. She felt guilty when she allowed herself to feel annoyed.

As she opened the door the smell of fresh spices hit her, and she knew he had been cooking. She lay her bag by the door and took her shoes off, balancing against the sideboard so that she didn't topple over. Taking her shoes off with a bump in the way was becoming harder the more it grew.

'Hey.' She heard his voice and looked up. Charlie was standing in the kitchen doorway with a spotty pink apron on, the apron Grace had bought for Georgie one Christmas. She had always hated it but here he was, wearing it. She couldn't stop a smile creeping on to her lips.

'What?' He said, with a cheeky grin. 'What's so funny?'

She bit her lip and allowed herself to smile properly. 'Suits you.'

'I think so.' He said, and then he looked down at the floor for a few seconds before looking back up at her, his face serious now. 'I'm sorry about this morning, Georgie.'

She nodded. 'I know. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have taken it the wrong way. I'm just exhausted, you know.'

'Yeah.' He said. 'Can we talk? Properly?'

They sat down to eat. It was really good. Charlie had always been a good cook.

'What I said this morning... I didn't mean it like it sounded.' He explained.

'It's only natural to feel like you're missing out.' Georgie said. 'I know it's hard for you, seeing me go out and carry on as normal when you felt you had to leave.'

'I'm not missing out.' Charlie replied. 'When I said I gave everything up for you... that was stupid. I might have given up the army but that wasn't just because of you, or even for you, and it wasn't everything. I have so much more now than I did then.'

She hungrily ate a few more mouthfuls of the curry he had cooked. She could tell he had put a lot of effort in to it, and she was starving. It was his way of saying sorry.

'You don't have to justify your feelings.' She said finally. 'I get it.'

He shook his head. 'I didn't mean that I had to give it all up because of you. I promise I didn't.'

Georgie sighed, and put her fork down with a clatter on the plate. She looked up at him. 'You promised to always be honest.' She said. 'So he honest with me. Do you feel like you had to leave the army because of me?'

'No.' Charlie replied. 'Being with you made me realise what was important. But I left because I couldn't do a good job anymore. I needed help, and I made the choice not to go back.'

'Do you regret that decision?' Georgie asked. 'Do you ever wish you could be back with the guys again?'

Charlie thought about his answer carefully. He knew he had to be honest with her. 'Sometimes I wish I could be the captain I was before.' He said. 'But I wasn't that man anymore, not at the end. I know I'll never be that man again.'

Georgie blinked at him across the table, and he thought he could see tears starting to form in her eyes.

'I wish I could be that man for you.' He admitted. 'I wish I could be the strong one, looking after you. I wish you could be sitting at home putting your feet up, enjoying the last couple of months of your pregnancy and not having to drag yourself out of bed every day to go to work because at the moment I can't give us the lifestyle I want to on my own.'

He cleared his throat, and she could hear his voice falter as if he was trying to hold back tears too. 'One day I think I'm doing ok, I'm getting there. And then I feel useless again and... I take it out on you. And I don't want to and I'm sorry.'

She reached across the table and took his hand in hers, squeezing it tight.

'You listen to me.' She said, firmly, as much for herself as for him - she knew that if she wasn't firm, she would cry. 'You are not useless. I don't want to put my feet up, that isn't me. You know it isn't me. I just want to be with you, I want you to build our lives together, bring our baby up and be happy. It doesn't matter to me what your job title is, or how much money you earn, or how many people you manage. You know me well enough to know that none of that matters to me.'

He lifted her hand to his lips, and kissed it gently.

'All I want is for you to love me and be there for me.' Georgie said, wiping the tears away from the corner of her eyes. 'And I want you to learn to love yourself again. Because you are an amazing man, and you're all that I want.'

He didn't know what to say because he didn't know if he could ever like who he was again, let alone love himself.

'I love you so much, Georgie.' He said. 'I don't know how I can ever thank you enough for being there for me. If it wasn't for you I'd have fucked everything up again.'

'That's not true.' She said, standing up and wrapping her arms around him, as he nuzzled in to her belly. 'You are stronger than you think, and you're going to be a brilliant dad to this baby.'

'I won't fuck this up, I promise.' He said.

'I know.' She said, holding him close. 'I believe in you.'


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

Georgie thought she was strong enough to sail through labour, but she was wrong.

The pain she had felt when being injured on tour was nothing compared to the agony she felt with every contraction. She was disciplined in her breathing just like she was disciplined in the army, but with every hour that passed she became more and more tired, and just before eleven o'clock she felt like she couldn't go on anymore.

'Why isn't the baby here?!' She cried, writhing through the latest contraction, gripping Charlie's hand so tightly he felt like her nails were going to split through his skin.

'You're doing great.' He said, reassuringly. 'Keep breathing. It's going to be ok.'

Her waters had broken the evening before when they were walking around town, enjoying the Christmas lights. This morning she had woken up to an uncomfortable ache in her stomach. By mid morning the contractions had really started and Charlie brought her in to hospital. She had been in labour all day and all evening, and she was exhausted.

Once the contraction finished she fell back against the bed, and released Charlie's hand. He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times, trying to get the blood supply back to his hand.

'Sorry.' Georgie said weakly. 'Did I hurt you?'

'Nothing I can't handle.' He said, stroking a few loose strands from her damp forehead. 'You're doing amazingly. I'm so proud of you.'

Before she had a chance to respond another contraction ripped through her body. It felt like she had been shot in the stomach, and she arched her back and cried out in agony, trying to breathe through it. 'Charlie, please help me!' She begged. 'I can't do this anymore.'

He held the mouth piece of the gas and air to her mouth. 'Breathe it in.' He said. 'It's going to be ok. You can do this.'

'You're so close Georgie.' The midwife reassured her. 'Do you want to try and get in the pool? It might help with the pain.'

Georgie didn't want to do anything except get this baby out of her, now, but the thought of even a small bit of relief from the pain was encouraging enough for her to want to try it.

The midwife began to fill the pool and after several more contractions it was full enough to get in. Charlie steadied her as she climbed in, and sat by the edge of the bath supporting her shoulders so that she could rest back against the side of the bath.

'Is that better?' He asked.

'Not really.' She said, as another contraction took hold, and before long she was writhing about in the water, begging for it to be over again.

Charlie watched her helplessly. He wanted to support her and help her through this, but he didn't know how. He knew how to bark orders at his section and get them to follow (not that Georgie had always done so), but he had no experience at all of helping a woman get through labour. He hadn't been there for the birth of his first child, this was the first time. It was something that his first wife had never let him forget.

As she screamed out in desperation, Charlie remembered how Georgie had supported him through the agony he had felt in the jungle in Belize. She had been so calm, so collected. She knew exactly what to do. He wished he could be the support to her that she had been to him.

'Take my hands.' He said suddenly, as that contraction finished and she relaxed for a moment. 'Turn around.'

She did as she was told. 'If only you were so obedient when you were under my charge, eh?' He joked nervously.

Exhausted, she let out a little laugh and closed her eyes, leaning in to his chest. 'I'm scared, Charlie.' She whispered. 'I don't think I can do this.'

'Yes you can.' He said. 'If you can save me from losing my leg or being shot and killed after 24 hours in the jungle, and survive an explosion and jumping off a cliff two days in a row then you can do this.'

The midwife said nothing, but Charlie noticed her raise an eyebrow slightly.

'My wife is a hero. She's the best army medic I know.' He said to her, and she smiled. 'Now.' He said, turning back to Georgie. 'With the next contraction I want you to hold my hands and put all that energy in to pushing our baby out. Do you understand?'

She nodded, and suddenly the next contraction took hold. 'Look at me.' Charlie ordered, holding her hands tight. 'Look at me, Georgie. You can do this.'

She looked in to his eyes, and pushed hard. 'Go on, Georgie.' He said. 'You can do this.'

She squeezed his hands and carried on pushing as hard as she could. Within a matter of seconds the midwife was leaning over the tub. 'Well done, Georgie.' She said. 'The heads out. Just breathe for me, little breaths. Breathe the rest of your baby out.'

Charlie was grinning from ear to ear, he had never been so excited. He held Georgie's hands tighter and kissed her hard on the lips. 'You're amazing.' He said. 'I literally can't believe you sometimes.'

With another contraction their baby was out. The midwife guided him up to the surface of the water and Georgie cradled him in her arms.

'It's a boy!' Charlie cried, tears spilling down his cheeks. 'You did it, Georgie. You did it. I'm so proud of you.'

She leaned back in to his arms, relieved that it was over and their baby boy was safe. 'Happy birthday Oliver.' She whispered, tracing his tiny lips with her little finger.

They had decided on the name Oliver for a boy months ago. They had spent hours reading through baby names, but any name that Georgie liked Charlie didn't, and vice versa. Oliver was the first one they both loved.

'Nice day for a birthday, 23rd December.' The midwife said.

Georgie felt a stab of shock in her stomach, and looked up. '23rd?'

'Yes, just.' The midwife said. '12.01am.'

Charlie suddenly realised why Georgie had questioned it. He squeezed her shoulder. 'Elvis' birthday.' He said, quietly.

Georgie looked down at the newborn in her arms, wrapped up in a towel, bundled up without a care in the world. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Of all the days that he could have been born, he waited until Elvis' birthday.

'He's always going to be watching out for you.' She whispered, wiping the tears out of her eyes. 'Just like he looks out for me.'

Charlie wrapped his arms around both of them protectively. 'Maybe we should give him a middle name.' He said, softly. 'Then we will always have a part of him with us.'

Georgie turned the name over in her head - Oliver Elvis James - and felt a lump form in her throat. 'Do you mean it?' She asked.

'Elvis was my best friend.' Charlie said, stroking the top of Oliver's head gently. 'I don't believe that we survived all that just by chance. I'd like to think he's up there, watching out for us. And I feel like this is the right thing to do.'

Georgie turned her head and kissed Charlie gently. 'I think he would love that.' She said.


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors note - thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story and left lovely reviews! The birth scene was my favourite to write and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There is one chapter left after this one. Enjoy!**

 **also I noticed a bit of a dip in the number of views for chapter 11 and when I uploaded it I had a bit of trouble getting it to come up. Not sure if people may have missed it so just wanted to draw your attention to that just in case as it's quite a busy one!**

Chapter fourteen

Charlie opened the curtain of the cubicle quietly and tiptoed in, careful not to wake Georgie and Oliver. He stood inside the curtain for a few moments, watching them sleep peacefully. Georgie lay against the pillow with her hair spread out around her face, her head tilted slightly to one side. Oliver lay peacefully on her chest, his little pink face pressed against her skin. Charlie smiled. He didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful.

He set the car seat down on the floor and sat down quietly on the chair next to the bed, gently placing his hand on top of Georgie's. He watched the gentle rise and fall of his son's back as he slept. He couldn't wait to get them home and look after them both properly.

It was the quietest Christmas Eve he'd had in years. He remembered all the previous Christmas eves he had been on tour. At this moment he could think of absolutely nowhere he would rather be than here. He could happily spend every moment of the rest of his life with his wife and son. He never wanted this precious time to end.

Georgie stirred and opened her eyes slowly. When she saw Charlie by her side she smiled, and looked down to check on the sleeping baby on her chest.

'Hey.' Charlie whispered. 'Are you ok?'

'Yeah, fine.' She replied softly.

'How was he in the night?' Charlie asked.

Georgie tried to stretch as gently as she could. Her neck was stiff but she didn't want to wake Oliver. 'He was up until 5.' She whispered. 'Then he dropped off feeding... and I must have fallen asleep too.'

Charlie cringed. 'Looks like I'm on the night shift tonight then.' He smiled. 'I can't wait to get you home though.'

'I can't wait to be home.' Georgie said. 'I just want to be in my own pyjamas, in my own bed, eating a tub of Heroes and snuggled up with both of you.'

'Sounds like the best Christmas ever.' Charlie grinned. 'I asked the midwife, she said you should be able to come home this afternoon once the doctor's been round.'

He moved on to the bed next to Georgie and put his arm gently around her. Georgie smiled, and shut her eyes for a few seconds, leaning against his chest.

'Georgie.' He said, tracing his son's tiny features with his eyes. 'I don't know how to thank you.'

'For what?' She asked.

'Everything.' He said.

...

Charlie proudly carried the car seat to the front doors of the hospital and held the door open for Georgie.

'Thank you.' She said softly. The birth had really taken it out of her and she felt battered and bruised. She couldn't wait to get home.

As they walked down the front steps of the hospital, with Oliver bundled up in a wooly hat and blanket which Grace had eagerly been knitting since Georgie had told her their news, Charlie put his arm around Georgie's waist and held her close to him protectively.

It felt strange leaving hospital as a family. It was still so unfamiliar, and Georgie felt almost as though she had walked out in to a different world.

'If only he knew the journey we had to get here.' She said thoughtfully, as they crossed the road to get to the car park.

'One day he will.' Charlie said. 'Some of it anyway.'

Georgie squeezed him closer to her. 'I love you.' She said.

'I love you too.' He answered.

After checking that the car seat was buckled in to the car properly about ten times, Charlie opened the car door for Georgie and helped her climb carefully inside.

'I don't need your help you know.' She grinned. 'I can get in to a car by myself.'

'And there's me trying to be a gentleman.' Charlie answered, grinning. 'You don't have to be strong all the time, you know. You can let me look after you. I like looking after you.'

He got in to the drivers side and closed the door. As he turned the key the radio started up, and the sound of Christmas filled the car. 'Ugh.' He said. 'I hate Christmas songs.'

'Well I love them.' Georgie said grinning, turning it up. 'And it's Christmas Eve. And it's 2 against 1, so... yeah.'

He grinned, and then suddenly put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her deeply. She relaxed in to him and put her arms around his neck. They were in their own little bubble until the sound of Oliver stirring in his car seat broke them out of it.

'Better get him home.' Charlie said. 'He's impatient. Wonder where he gets that from?'

Georgie grinned, and shrugged. 'I have no idea.'

'Let's go home.' Charlie said.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen

When Charlie woke up, a dim light was shining through the gap in the curtains, and he knew it was Christmas morning. Oliver had been up half the night but he was finally asleep, cuddled up with Georgie next to him in bed. Charlie lay still watching them for what seemed like forever. He wanted to grab Georgie and kiss her, but he knew he wouldn't be in her good books if he woke Oliver up.

Eventually he crept out of bed and across the room, being careful to avoid the floorboards which he knew were creaky. After he had pulled on some joggers he slipped out of the room and downstairs towards the kitchen, where he began to make himself a coffee.

It hadn't snowed, but it was a very cold morning and the world was white with frost. He stared out of the kitchen window for a few minutes while the kettle boiled. Everything felt different but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Of course, everything was different - they were a family of 3 now - but that wasn't it. Once the kettle boiled he poured the water in to the mug, and then it struck him what it was.

Everything felt peaceful.

His mind was calm.

He closed his eyes. Where he once saw only panic and pain, all he could see now was the image of Georgie and Oliver curled up next to him, sleeping peacefully. The little nose that they both shared. The sound of their gentle breaths, and the love in Georgie's eyes when she looked in to his little face.

Charlie felt a stab of pride in his stomach as he thought about how brave Georgie had been during the birth. They had been through a lot together, she had made him proud a hundred times over. But there was absolutely nothing she could do that would come close to the moment she brought their son in to the world.

As he walked back across the hallway, his eyes fell on the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. It dawned on him that he hadn't had time to get Georgie a proper present. 'Fuck.' He muttered to himself, feeling guilty that he hadn't been more organised. He had, as usual, left it to the last minute and Oliver's appearance meant that he hadn't got to the shops after all.

He sat down at the table with a piece of paper and a pen and began to write her an IOU. He meant it to be funny, but once he had started to write he couldn't stop and he ended up writing her an essay. Once it was done, he folded it a few times and wrapped it up with a piece of Christmas ribbon he had found in one of the drawers. He placed it in the centre of the tree with a few chocolate coins. It would have to do for now.

...

When Georgie woke up, she felt almost refreshed. She felt like she'd had a good few hours of sleep, which was a huge relief from the broken sleep she had managed to get for the last couple of nights. She rolled over to check on Oliver to find that he was gone.

Panicked, she pulled the covers up and looked underneath them, worrying that he had rolled down. He was nowhere in sight. She jumped out of bed and tore across the room and down the stairs, and it was then that she saw them.

Charlie was asleep in the arm chair in front of the Christmas tree, with Oliver on his chest. She stopped in the doorway and watched them for a few seconds. She felt her love for Charlie swell even more, and smiled. Everything was fine. Charlie had taken Oliver so she could have a break.

She was about to go upstairs and have a shower when she caught sight of something wedged awkwardly in the middle of the Christmas tree. She raised an eyebrow and a small smile played on her lips as she padded across the room and noticed Charlie's handwriting scrawled on the outside of a scroll, with an awkwardly placed piece of ribbon holding it together. This better not be my Christmas present, she thought to herself, and as she pulled the paper out of the tree and began to unroll it a few chocolate coins fell out.

'What the...' She whispered, as she realised it was a whole page of writing. As she began to read, her heart began to thump hard in her chest, like an army drum.

 _Georgie_

 _I was going to write you an IOU because I've been shit and haven't got you a present yet. But then I thought about what you've given me and I know that no present would ever be enough in comparison._

 _I never thought I would be able to leave the army and function in civilian life, let alone be happy. When we agreed that this could be our chance to be happy, I never realised how happy I could be. You have given me everything. I don't want to sound like a soppy fucker but I want you to know how much you mean to me. We don't know how long we have, and I know you know that more than anyone._

 _You haven't just given me a second chance and a beautiful son, but you have also saved me. I finally feel free from the army, from the pain that changed me, from the grief of losing myself. I never thought I would. That's down to you._

 _I know I haven't always been the greatest husband and I'm sorry for the bad days when I took it out on you. You're the last one I want to hurt, but the only one who has stuck with me and not given up. Maybe that's because you're as stubborn as I am, I don't know, but I like to think it's because you love me maybe half as much as I love you._

 _Watching you bring Oliver in to the world was the happiest moment of my life and I can never thank you enough for that. This is my second chance to be the Dad I wish I had been years ago, and I promise I will never let you and Oliver down._

 _Charlie_

'You found my letter then!'

Georgie jumped at the sound of his voice. 'I thought you were asleep.' She said.

'I thought we were doing presents later.' He replied, smiling softly. 'Sorry I didn't get a chance to get to the shops.'

'Christmas is 25th December each year.' Georgie said, but then she bit her lip and smiled back. 'I'm not bothered about the present, you soppy bastard.'

'Charming.' He said, rubbing Oliver's back gently as he stirred.

Georgie sat on the arm of the sofa with the letter still in her hand, and kissed Charlie gently. He put his free hand on the back of her neck and kissed her back.

'I meant every word.' He said softly, pulling her in to him.

'I know.' Georgie replied, and cuddled in to him for a few seconds before jumping up. 'You need to open your present now.' She said.

Charlie raised one eyebrow. 'Well now I feel even more guilty because I didn't get you one!'

'It's only something small.' Georgie said, rustling under the tree for the small box she had placed there a couple of weeks before. 'Here you go.'

Charlie bent down and shushed as he gently placed Oliver down in the bouncer chair next to the tree. He carefully wrapped the soft blanket around him and took his hands away gently as Oliver stirred but then went back to sleep. He took the package from Georgie and began to rip the paper off.

'I'm intrigued.' He said, shaking the box gently. Something clattered inside but the box was very light.

Georgie bit her lip as she watched Charlie open the box. She watched as he eased the lid of the box off and rummaged through the tissue paper inside. Finally he pulled the chain out, wrapped around his fingers.

'Your tags.' He said, lifting them up and reading her name and details.

She nodded, waiting for him to realise what it meant.

'You... does this mean...' he asked slowly.

She nodded. 'Yeah. I don't need them anymore because I'm not going back.'

Charlie swallowed, and clenched his fist around the tags. 'You don't have to make this decision now.' He said. 'What if you change your mind?'

'I won't.' Georgie said, closing her hands around his. 'I want a fresh start for us. More than anything.'

Charlie felt a lump in his throat and he cleared his throat. 'Are you sure?'

She nodded, and wrapped her arms around him.

'You were right.' He whispered as he nuzzled in to her neck.

'About What?' She asked softly.

'Do you remember what you said to me in Bangladesh that night when I came to see you in the clinic, in the middle of the cholera outbreak?'

'Yeah.' She said, replaying the moment in her head. 'If we get this right, this is our chance to be happy again.'

 **Authors note - thanks again to everyone who has followed this story. Would love to hear what you think if you would like to write a review. I'll really miss writing, maybe I'll think of some more storylines to write another one in the future! :) if you have an idea of what you would like to happen between the two in the future Let me know!**


	16. Update!

Hi everyone,

Hope you're enjoying the latest series of Our Girl! I'm so nervous about next week, it looks like it's going to be intense!

A few people have asked me to let you know when my book is being released. I now have a release date of 13th May and it will be available in paperback and e-book formats. The kindle version can be pre-ordered here: . /Battle-Cry-Rosie-Jones-ebook/dp/B087GD6NYL/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=battle+cry+book&qid=1587764465&sr=8-1

Could I also ask a massive favour, if you read the book please could you leave a review on Amazon, even if its just one word - reviews will really help the book's visibility and hopefully it will be seen by lots more people.

Thanks so much!


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